What Is The Difference In Flood, Spot & Combo Beam LED Light Bars

You see many variations of LED Light Bars online today, but whats the difference in beam patterns that are available? Flood, spot & combo are common terms used by different manufactures so lets explain the differences in these types of light bars.

Unlike standard incandescent light bulbs which are commonly used at home, those type of bulbs disperse light out in all directions, LED light bars concentrate the direction of the light that they omit in a single pattern. The way that beam is focused depends on the style of reflector used on each LED and the shape of the lens.

The variable patterns for light bars has an effect on the distance that a light projects and beam width. With a flood light, you have a wider beam width at the expense of long range projection. A spot light pattern focuses the light in one direction to project the light a further distance, but is much narrower than the flood light beam, so you lose peripheral vision to the sides. A combo beam incorporates flood lenses and spot lenses together to get a better balance between long distance and a wide beam. The combo beam works terrific on LED light bars because you get a good balance of light for a variety of different environments.

Flood pattern light bars typically project a beam in the range of 40 and 120 degrees of width. Spot patters are usually in the 10 to 30 degree range. Every light bar varies by different models, whether it is a single row or double row and even depending on the amount of lumens that the LEDs emit.

So what type of LED light bar is right for you? We suggest that most people use a combo beam light bar. The combo beam is the most universally used bar available today. If you prefer a spot light or flood light for you application, the build of the bars is the same, so they will last just as long and provide you 1,000's of hours of quality off-road lighting performance. Check out the high-quality bars that we offer here at SharpTruck.com!